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18th Century French Neurosurgery Trepan Brace. This is a rare French iron trepan in the form of a brace with rotating handles and drilling bit. It possesses the classic shape of trepans for the period between 1760 and 1780. The iron body shows scalloped webs with octagonal bulbous ends and spring release lever. The grip handle is made of ebony wood and part of the woodenhead handle may be a replacement. Andrea de Croce of Venice introduced this type of brace in the 17th century. This brace includes a detachable perforator bit, with a sharp point and spear-like head, to start the drilling process. This was a dangerous procedure since the triangular drill bit had the possibility of penetrating the brain. Therefore, this bit was probably replaced with circular saw bits to cut out circular holes in the skull. A fine, unique and extremely rare item. |
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